


Feasting on Fealty

by Zaniida



Series: Five Moments of Intimacy (Dark Inversions) [5]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Dark 5MI, Dark FMI, Double Drabbles, Drabble Sequence, Endurance - Freeform, Five Moments of Forced Intimacy, M/M, Obedience, Ordeals, Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:54:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26102239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaniida/pseuds/Zaniida
Summary: The ordeals keep Harold safe.  Harold, who John values far above his own safety, is safe, and comfortable, and John even gets to see him sometimes.  His strength comes from knowing that.Tonight’s ordeal isn’t even physical, but it’s harder than anything he has ever done; already it’s breaking him.
Relationships: Harold Finch/John Reese
Series: Five Moments of Intimacy (Dark Inversions) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1046075
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10
Collections: August Intimacy 2020





	1. Forced Breakdown/Comfort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maculategiraffe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maculategiraffe/gifts), [Code16](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Code16/gifts).
  * Inspired by [give me your answer, do](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12198384) by [Maculategiraffe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maculategiraffe/pseuds/Maculategiraffe). 



> _Note: I changed the name to "Feasting on Fealty" from "Feeding on Fealty" because I was just browsing my fics and realized that it's a much better name (more in parallel)_.
> 
> Another example of a Dark Inversion of the [Five Moments of (Nonsexual) Intimacy](https://www.pillowfort.social/posts/1439153) fic form. This plays off an AU created by Maculategiraffe, wherein John and Harold were captives of a horrible agency, but later purchased (yes, purchased) by "Daisy", an otherworldly being who literally feeds off the strength of John's loyalty to Harold. What John is willing to do to keep Harold safe.
> 
> I've bent this idea to the FMI format, so we have John being forced into five types of intimacy that he does not want. The chapter on Forced Physical Intimacy is a bit gruesome, though not graphic.
> 
>  **Maculategiraffe** , thanks for creating the AU and [letting others build off it](https://archiveofourown.org/comments/206085497)! The concept of loyalty/fealty as a source of food for otherworldly beings is certainly a compelling one. I have at least one other piece that I'd like to write for this AU, though likely not for a while.
> 
>  **Code16** , thanks for inspiring Maculategiraffe in the first place. And I hope this hits close to your interests as well!

Daisy knows his limits better than he knows himself, so John rarely has to beg for relief. Every hardship or humiliation, he can bear; each task she gives him, he meets or exceeds.

The ordeals keep Harold safe. Harold, who John values far above his own safety, is comfortable, and John even gets to see him sometimes. His strength comes from knowing that.

Tonight’s ordeal isn’t even physical, but it’s harder than anything he has ever done; already it’s breaking him.

_Imagine Harold in pain, John_.

She can see inside his mind, see what it’s doing to him, and she keeps _pushing_.

_Imagine he’s writhing in pain, and you’re just standing there_.

_You don’t care that he’s in pain. You just watch him. You_ smile.

It’s just images. It’s not real. He doesn’t have to think about harming Harold directly, just to stand by and let it happen and _not care_.

“That’s enough, John,” she murmurs, and he hears his own voice, begging her to stop. Her arms encircle him as he sobs against her, brokenly.

It’s too much, the thought that he could ever care nothing for Harold’s pain. He can’t be that person, not even in his head.


	2. Forced Secret-Sharing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Please,” John begs, unable to meet Harold’s gaze_.
> 
>  _“Tell him,” she whispers in his ear, and he knows with leaden certainty she won’t back down_.
> 
>  _He watches the confusion spread across Harold’s face, turning to disbelief, to knowledge, to horror_.

“Please,” John begs, only once, trembling in Daisy’s arms and unable to meet Harold’s gaze.

“Tell him,” she whispers in his ear, and he knows with leaden certainty she won’t back down.

Everything he does, these days, is to let her feed on his devotion, to keep her from doing Harold harm. She is a generous mistress, kind and merciful beyond any captor John has ever known, but now and again she pushes him where he truly does not want to go. And that includes allowing Harold to be hurt.

Tonight, she has given him orders, and he knows it would be far, far worse to not obey.

“They sent me to kill Grace,” he says, toneless, and watches the confusion spread across Harold’s face, turning to disbelief, to knowledge, to horror.

Harold had always imagined that one day—if he were patient, if he were particularly careful and clever, if he played every card _exactly_ right—he might find her again. John never wanted to tell him, to steal that hope from him.

At Daisy’s nudge, he adds, “She asked me why, but I didn’t tell her. I didn’t want her to regret knowing you, even at the end.”


	3. Forced Physical Intimacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Objectively, he knows she won’t kill him_.

Many times, Daisy has bid John bring her physical pleasure, but that isn’t usually sex. And sex is easy, almost a relief.

This is infinitely harder: lying perfectly still and not letting himself panic while Daisy gets to know him beneath the skin.

Objectively, he knows she won’t kill him _(he’s the most delicious energy source she’s ever had)_. He knows she won’t leave him damaged, that her powers keep her aware of his condition and can knit him back together in the end. And she’s had him hold his breath before, much longer than he thought he could, sometimes underwater, or while walking through a gas, or just lying in bed refusing to breathe until he hits the brink of passing out.

But it’s so much worse, trying to hold his breath while she caresses his lungs, explores the inner workings of his rib cage. Especially as she told him not to look away; his obedience is sweeter to her if he can’t distract himself from his senses.

The oxygen deprivation makes sparks around the edge of his vision. He holds on. He’s earning extra privileges for Harold, and it doesn’t matter how much he wants this to stop.


	4. Forced Vulnerability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _He trusts her, doesn’t he? She’s never given him a mission beyond his capabilities_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving yourself over to the care of another is a sign of great trust.
> 
> Having someone force you into that position, where you have no other choice, is... not the same thing at _all_.

At any moment, Daisy could do anything she wants to him, or to Harold; there is never a time when they’re not at her mercy. On occasion, though, Daisy wants a different taste from John’s submission, and so she brings him to abject vulnerability.

Like tonight, when she placed her hands on his temples and removed his ability to see anything other than her. And then transported him to an unknown place and bid him follow her, as quickly as he can manage.

Then she moves on, not even looking back.

She has given her command.

Whatever he’s walking on is narrow and spongy, and bows beneath each step. He hesitates, feeling the wind whip about him, buffeting him.

Heights have never frightened him. But then, he’s never had to walk a narrow ledge above an unknown danger while more than blindfolded.

If he goes too slow, or hesitates too often, he’ll displease her.

He trusts her, doesn’t he? His life is in her hands, and she values him enough that she’s not going to throw it away. She’s never given him a mission beyond his capabilities.

Raising himself up against the wind, he strides after her into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This section was partially inspired by EndlessStairway's [Slutbox](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24462289/chapters/59729578#workskin) (chapter 7), wherein the Grandmaster takes away Loki's ability to see or hear anything other than the Grandmaster. Please bear in mind that that fic is quite dark and graphic (and a bit unrelenting) and not for the faint of heart.


	5. Forced Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _If he does not cause enough pain, then Daisy will do far, far worse in payment for Harold’s indiscretion_.

On rare occasions, Harold still pushes beyond the boundaries of what Daisy will allow from her purchases.

Daisy likes the taste of John’s compliance, pure and sweet, untinged by the darker, bitter emotions. If she ever did any serious harm to Harold, John’s compliance would be forever tainted by hate.

But even she has limits.

John always tries to talk her into punishing _him_ , instead; she allows it, and that’s enough to remind Harold, for a while, of their limitations.

This time, it won’t be so easy on either of them.

The device strapped to Harold’s head deals pain more directly than even electrocution could. And John’s finger holds the button down.

If he does not cause enough pain, then Daisy will do far, far worse in payment for Harold’s indiscretion.

Barely a few minutes in, Harold is crying out for relief, but not from the pain: from the awareness of what this is doing to John, how great an agony it is to be forced to cause Harold even the slightest distress.

In the end, it is Harold sobbing into Daisy’s gentle hands, vowing to behave, to never again give her cause to harm John in such a way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daisy has the experience of punishing those she owns, including Harold and John. She forces John to join her in knowing what that's like. It's an interesting little twist, that John is hurt by what he's doing to Harold, and Harold is hurt by what the experience is doing to _John_.
> 
> Not exactly _Gift of the Magi_ , but along similar lines.
> 
> Thus ends this little dark fic. However, I'm thinking to write a follow-up (which had originally been part of the same fic, before I broke it into chapters) wherein John and Harold get the reward for John's submission, which is like a year of enjoying each other's company with barely a peep from Daisy. I'll be focusing on the nonsexual intimacy side of things, of course, but anyone is free to build on this idea and give them a little more relief/relaxation ^_^


End file.
